Trapped in the fire
by wouldbewriter23
Summary: In which the showdown between Bunny and Kyden in the Oasis goes very differently, and things take a turn for the worst. (To be Hunted by Fire AU)
1. Chapter 1

**See end of the chapter for notes.**

 **Sum: In which the showdown between Bunny and Kyden in the Oasis goes very differently, and things take a turn for the worst.**

Bunny ran, pushing his body to the limit in his need to get to the others. Every muscle burned in over exertion, his lungs were bone dry, his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. The desert air was stifling, too hot and dry. It sucked whatever moisture that wasn't chased away by his relentless pace out of his lungs. The hot sand under seared his feet until he swore that he could _smell_ his soles burning. The sun beat down on his back, just as cruelly hot as the sand. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up, keep running. His head spun as dehydration and exhaustion took their toll. But still he kept going.

 _'I just ran. It didn't occur to me that I could fly until I collapsed. My feet couldn't carry me anymore.'_ The thought drifted over the front of his mind, spoken in a dull, saddened voice. A voice that was supposed to be filled with light and joy. A voice that had told Bunny of horrors beyond imagination. Bunny pushed himself to run even faster.

The land around him became a blur of movement – not that it looked much different at any speed. He kept his nose close to the ground as he moved, as if keeping closer to the scent would get him to his friends, his fellow Guardians, faster.

He tried not to wonder just how much longer he would have the chance to call them that. Bunny sobbed at the thought, and the burst of escaping air made his dry lungs burn even more. He wanted to vomit. His body begged him to stop. His mind told him that he couldn't outrun the thoughts following him. But he kept running.

' _Please just go...'_

' _I need you to get the others.'_

' _Just promise me...'_

' _Please—'_

' _I know what he wants, I know what...'_

' _Nothing will change—'_

' _Please— go, please – just go...'_

' _Just promise...'_

He dropped into a tunnel when he found exactly where he needed to go to find the others. And kept running.

When he was finally, finally was able to come to a stop, when the scent trail ended, the endless white and pick of the desert had become the endless stretch of green of a forest. In the Amazon, if Bunny could guess correctly. He took deep, heavying breaths of air filled with the scent of decaying plants as he took a moment to get his breath back. Just a moment, he told himself sternly. Just long enough that the world stopped spinning so much. Then he needed to find the others, who were so, so close now.

Just a moment, because...

' _Just promise me...'_

"I'm promise, Jackie," he said quietly, swallowing heavily against tears as he did so.

Then he moved into the trees to find the others.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

North led Tooth and Sandy out of the tree line, and all three of them slumped under the crushing weight of defeat. Almost two days of trying to convince Mother Nature to step in with the Kyden situation, and all they had to show for it was a heaping, steaming pile of _nothing_. Two days, to find Mother Nature's domain and plead for her assistance, all wasted.

Two days Jack and Bunny may not have had to spare.

North's hands clenched and ached for his swords – for the need to do something – as he thought back to the casual way Mother Nature had dismissed his friends' peril. Like their deaths would have meant absolutely nothing for the rest of the world. Like losing _Jack_ would mean nothing.

Jack, who was the head of a season critical to the balance of the world. Who was a strong, vibrant light whose lose would darken the world in a way that could never be forgotten. Who...who was _Jack_.

How could she, how anyone possibly think that the world could keep turning with a loss like that?

"Aster?!"

North snapped out of his thoughts at Tooth's cry. The fairy zipped over to where their fellow Guardian was stooping against one of the towering trees. North smiled in relief at the sight of his friends, alive, whole if a bit injured. Then he frowned with growing dread. Where...?

"Aster, are you alright? You're hurt, you're burned!" Tooth flittered around the rabbit spirit, poking and prodding at the tender injuries. Aster stood listless, eyes down. "It'll be okay, we'll get you looked at. How did you get away? Did you kill that sick, twisted—"

"Where's Jack?" North growled as he slowly stalked forward.

For the first time, Bunny pulled his eyes away from the ground. His eyes were shimmering with tears, and he couldn't meet North's gaze. Tooth and Sandy stared at him with a growing mix of anger and horror. Bunny's gaze landed on each of them, and his mouth gapped open in aborted attempts to speak.

"Aster. Where is Jack?" North asked again. Bunny's eyes finally met the group's leader.

"I'm so sorry. I tried, I—"His words were cut off by the large fist that collided with the side of his face. Bunny went to the ground, and North loomed over him.

"You left him there?!" He pulled the other spirit to his feet, only to punch him to the ground again.

Bunny rolled and climbed to his feet, eyeing North warily as he did. The big man lunged for him again, and the rabbit-man evaded. Much as he was deep in the pit of self-loathing at the moment, Bunny really didn't feel like being pummeled by his friend.

"North," he appealed, being careful to stay out of the large man's range. "North, please. I'm sorry, I didn't want to—"

"You're sorry? You left Jack in the hands of that monster. You have betrayed everything we hold dear as Guardians, and you're _sorry_?" North had been very quiet throughout his spiel, and it was only through centuries of knowing the man that Bunny recognized that as a sign of extreme anger. When the Christmas spirit stepped forward again, Bunny was sure it was to kill him. Luckily, Tooth cut the man off before he had to find out for sure.

"North, stop it! This isn't helping."

Bunny sighed in relief as North backed down. Then his gut curled as Tooth sent him a look that said he wasn't forgiven. Sandy was giving him the same dark glare, and Bunny wilted.

"Aster, he trusted you. How could you so that to him?"

Bunny ran a hand over his ears, which were lying flat against his head in distress. He looked to each of the harsh stares leveled at him, and swallowed thickly before answering.

"He asked me to."

' _Just promise that you'll come back for me.'_

In light of Bunny's claim, the Guardians decided to return to the Pole, to re-group and hash out a new plan. If it were possible for Bunny to look more down-trodden than he already was, the knowledge that Mother Nature had refused to help them did just that. The rabbit completely sunk in on himself. He stared off into the distance, utterly forlorn, for the entire trip up north.

Tooth and Sandy soften considerably toward their fellow Guardian, especially once he was set up in the infirmary. It was hard to stay mad at him when he looked so completely heartbroken and was covered nearly head to toe in third degree burns.

North, however, was doing a fine job of staying mad at the giant rabbit. When he thought of Jack's terrified face as he was pulled behind the barrier, and the fact that it was Bunny's fault that the boy was still trapped there, it wasn't hard. He was so hopelessly angry, that it wasn't hard at all.

With that in mind, North stalked forward. He loomed over the rabbit, thick arms crossed and gaze stormy, until Bunny slowly met his gaze.

"Speak," was all he said, short and sharp.

Bunny sighed and winced as the Yeti around him prodded on a particularly tender burn.

"Kyden's been huntin' the spirit's he traps in the Oasis. He'll take a big group of 'em, and them pick them off one by one. That's how Jack knows about 'im; Jack's the only one that's ever gotten out." The room was silent, and Bunny took the opportunity to ask for a glass of water. One of the Yeti went off to do so and quickly returned with a glass. Bunny downed in a few gulps. The water did nothing to soothe his ragged throat.

"He knocked me out, after I made it through the barrier. When I came to, he gave us twelve hours ta... he said it was a reward ta Jack for bein' the only 'returnin' member'. Bastard was toyin' him."

North swallowed down the angry accusation of ' _and you left him there!_ ' and began to pace.

"We waited until night ta make a run for the barrier. Jack," he trailed off. Jack's story of his first time in the Oasis wasn't Bunny's to tell. If anyone was going to tell what happened with Fynn and Cassandra, it was going to be Jack. When they got him back. So he skimmed over that part as he went on. "Jack knew we could get out that way. From last time. And we were... we got separated. I got knocked out, again."

He took a shaky breath and told them about waking up after fire had rained down from the sky, and the gut wrenching fear of finding Jack gone. Of rushing through the trees in a mad dash to find the boy. And coming across Kyden leering over Jack. Jack, who was lying flat on his back, staring up at the larger spirit in fear and horror as Kyden traced the boy's eye socket with the tip of a very large knife. Anger at the sight had clouded Bunny's vision, and looking back on it, he figured that must have been his mistake.

He'd charged forward, drawing his weapon as he moved. He must have stepped on a twig, or maybe the fire spirit caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye. Either way, the next thing Bunny knew, he was tangled up in vines that stopped him dead. He'd pulled against his bounds, only stopping when he heard Kyden's nasty chuckle and looked up to see him pulling Jack – half naked and bound and gagged and terrified – over to stand in front of Bunny.

"Well, look who's still alive and kicking," the fire spirit mused as he moved Jack so that he was flush against his chest. "Not that I was all that focused on you the other night. I had my mind on more important things."

Jack shivered as he felt that leer the fire spirit sent his way. Bunny sent the man a scorching glare and growled low in his throat.

"But, now you're here!" Kyden went on, either oblivious to those reactions, or ignoring them. "And now we have to figure out what to do with you. What do you think, my bird? Should we kill him?"

The last part was in a sinister whisper against the shell of Jack's ear. Jack's eyes went wide and shimmered with frightened tears. He looked over his shoulder to where the man was still looming over him, and shook his head, desperately.

"You don't think so?" More frantic, silent no's. "You don't want to? Well, _I_ want to. I want to cut into him until there's nothing left to cut. I want to see how much he can take before he's a quivering mess. And we do what _I_ want around here."

He pushed Jack to the ground, where Jack landed jarringly on his shoulder. He watched as the fire man stalked over to his friend, unable to stop small whimpers from slipping past the vine between his teeth as he fought to loosen the binds around his arms.

That sound snapped Bunny out of the frozen shock that had fallen over him at hearing his imminent death casually brought up in conversation. He kept his glare steady as Kyden glided over to him, knife in hand. The fire spirit smiled, almost giddily.

"You've got fire." He cackled at his own joke for a moment before quieting as he waved the knife under Bunny's nose. "I think that. The ones with fire last longer before they're just piles of whimpering flesh."

The knife trailed down his neck, to his chest and hovered over his stomach. Those burning eyes were lit with manic joy as the tip of the knife pressed just above the point of breaking skin. Bunny stared back without flinching, perfectly still and unable to do anything but wait for the blade to rip him open.

"Stop! Please! I'll do it, I'll stay!"

Both adults froze. Kyden slowly turned to look over his shoulder. Jack stared at the man imploringly, having loosened the gag enough to speak.

"What?"  
"Jack, no!"

Bunny's warning and Kyden's question intermingled. The fire spirit shushed him with half a mind, and half-heartedly conjured another patch of vines to wrap around the rabbit's muzzle. He kept his eyes trained on Jack, and slowly made his way over to where the boy was lying.

"What was that, my Jackie-bird?" he asked again as he pulled Jack to his feet. Said boy took a shaky breath before replying.

"I'll stay. Let him go, and I'll stay here."

"But you're _already_ going to do that. And I still get to kill the fuzzy. I like that idea better than letting him leave."

"No!" Jack jerked his head to the side as Kyden moved to slip the gap back between his teeth. "If you kill him you'll keep me here. But if you let him go, I'll _stay_!

"That's what you want, isn't it," Jack pushed on in a desperate whisper when the fire spirit paused. "Someone to stay with you. Someone who will, chase away the loneliness and the silence? Someone to make sure they can never come back? I can give you that. Let him go, and I'll give you that."

"Yes," Kyden whispered back, almost sounding like he was in a daze.

"Please just let him go."

The two elementals stared at each other, Jack trembling in fright and Kyden horrifyingly blank. Bunny jerked at the vines holding him and made muffled protests through his muzzle, hoping to catch Jack attention and convince him not to do this. To get Jack to see that it was Bunny's job to protect the kid, not the other way around.

It didn't matter that he couldn't really convey either of those without his words, because neither spirit looked at him.

After an eerily long minute, Kyden's face broke into a sunny smile. Bunny's stomach sank.

"I might consider it. If... I get to steal a kiss first."

"What?"

"You heard me. I can't be expected to believe you'll do what I want with your friend free if you don't do what I say now. If it's good, I'll let him go. If not, well," he trailed off, knowing full well that he didn't need to finish the threat.

Jack swallowed nervously and shook as he met the older spirit's leer. He nodded, titled his chin up slightly and pressed his lips softly to Kyden's. The fire spirit lunged forward and crushed Jack to his body, tangling on hand painfully in the boy's hair as he slipped his tongue between Jack's teeth. Jack stood utterly still while the fire man's other hand groped every bit of his body that was crushed to Kyden's front.

The older man lewdly rock his hip against the smaller spirit, and then allowed Jack to pull back. He grinned down at the boy, licked his lips with a repulsive smack, and then released his grip on Jack's hair.

"Okay, he can go."

"Thank you," Jack said in a burst of air. Most of the tension drained out of his frame.

"Thank _you_." The man nipped at Jack's lips, and the boy's shoulder shot back up. "You hear that, fuzzy? You're free to go." With a wave of his hand, the muzzle fell away, though the bounds around the rest of his body stayed in place.

"If ya really think that I'm leaving ya alone with that kid, yer out of yer twisted, soot clogged mind," Bunny shouted back, jerking forward with the desire to rip the bastard apart.

Kyden smirked, like he'd been waiting for that response. Which was likely the reason that Bunny was still bound. Kyden sent Jack a mock disappointed look and sighed.

"Well, I tried, my bird. But if he doesn't want to leave," he sighed, and conjured a handful of fire.

"No, please! Let me talk to him. I'll get him to leave, just let me talk to him."

"Do you really think I'll fall for that? Give you a chance to get close to him so that he can bolt with you?" The fire man sounded genuinely irritated, and pulled Jack close with a painful grip on his shoulder.

"You've made it clear that we can't get out of here." Jack really hoped that the fire man didn't remember his first escape, and pushed on before Kyden could think too hard on it. "Trying to get away isn't going to do me any good, and I know that. So, please, just let me talk to him."

The fire man still looked hesitant, and Jack pushed up to his tip toes to plant another kiss on the warm spirit's mouth. It made his stomach curl as much as the first kiss – though luckily Kyden didn't shove his tongue into his mouth this time around – but the delighted smile on the man's face told Jack that it was worth it.

"Learning already, are we? I like it." This time Jack had to force himself not to be sick. "Alright, see if you can talk him out. But best hurry: he's starting to irritate me." The bounds around Jack's arms fell away and he ran over to Bunny.

"Jack, there is no way that I'm leaving ya with this man," the rabbit declared as soon as Jack was in ear shot.

"We don't have a choice."

"Yes we do. As soon as I can move, I'll grab ya and we'll make a run for the barrier."

"That won't work,' Jack said, voice resigned and almost dead.

"We have to try!"

"No we don't!" Finally, some life leaked back into the boy's voice. "There are only two options here, Bunny: either one of us gets out of here, or neither of us. The second one doesn't do us very much good, so I need you to go. I need you to get the others."

Bunny stared for a moment, mouth gapping and bile rising in the back of his throat.

"Jack...if I leave ya here, he'll... ya don't know what he'll do ta ya. I can't just let that happen."

"I'm not stupid, Bunny. I'm three hundred years old, and I really think that I've seen more of the world in that time than you have. I know what he wants, I know... I've always known. But that's going to happen no matter what we do. Nothing will change it."

"Jack..."

"Please, just go. Please, go, please." Jack rested his head against the rabbit's chest. His shoulders trembled with repressed sobs that were thick in his voice and Bunny felt some of his resolve crumble. "I can't watch him kill another friend. Not when I can do something to stop it."

The rest of the older spirit's protests fell away like sand. He sighed in defeat and rested his chin on Jack's head.

"Low blow, kid."

"Just promise that you'll come back for me," Jack said in place of a response.

Bunny felt his heart shatter. What made the kid even think that he had to ask something like that? Unfortunately, before Bunny could reassure the boy, Kyden cut into the conversation.

"Well, you gonna go, fuzzy? My patience is wearing thin."

"I'm goin'," Bunny said quietly. This time Jack did sob, in relief or grief, Bunny couldn't tell.

"Excellent," the fire man chirped. He strolled forward and jerked Jack back by his neck. It wasn't to keep the kid from leaving, but to show that there was never a chance for him to escape. "Ta, ta now, may your travels be marry."

The vines holding Bunny in place fell away. The rabbit sent Kyden a final glare, met Jack's shimmering gaze, and then turned on his heels and dashed for the barrier.

X

The room was, incredibly, even more tense than when Bunny had started speaking. North's pacing became even more agitated, making everyone else all the more uneasy. Bunny kept his eyes firmly on his clasped hands, and waited for his friends to decide if they hated him.

Tooth was the first to move closer to him. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, wordlessly urging him to meet her eyes. He did so, somewhat reluctant.

"You did everything you could. This is not your fault."

Sandy nodded in agreement, though he still looked grim. Bunny almost collapsed in relief. Then all three looked to their leader.

North's first thought was to say that, as Bunny was still alive, he obviously had _not_ done everything he could have. It was his second thought, as well. And possible his third; but he followed none of his initial instincts, because regardless of the situation, he would never wish for his friend's death. So he finally stopped his pacing, and turned to meet Bunny's gaze, saying the least hostile thing he could muster.

"I am glad you are alive, my friend." With that, he turned on his heels, calling that they needed to plan Jack's rescue over his shoulder as he left the room.

Once he was outside the door, he let the helpless, sickening anger he's been feeling all day take over. He rammed his fist through the nearest wall, and let out a wordless roar.

"North." The saddened voice called from behind him as North pulled his hand free of the wall. He turned and found Bunny, who was shuffling at the door way.

"If he dies in there, I will never forgive you," he growled, unable to hold back his darker thoughts.

"Ya and me both, mate."

North sighed, dark thoughts replaced with heavy sadness, and hopelessness. He clapped Bunny on the shoulder – the best peace offering he could muster – and left before he could say anything more damaging. Bunny watched him go, weighed down with guilt and fear. Tooth and Sandy floated up behind him.

"He asked you to go, Bunny. And he was right: it wouldn't have done anyone any good if you'd died in there," she said gently.

"Yeah." But he couldn't fully believe that he'd done the right thing. There was one thing, more than anything else, that kept him from being able to think that. A terrible, mournful keening that had followed him though the barrier.

Jack had been screaming as Bunny left, and it was a sound the rabbit knew would haunt him to the grave.

 **This is a request from WinterCrystal1009, for an alternate ending to my story To be Hunted by Fire. I'm thinking it'll be around four chapters. Maybe more, we'll see.**

 **Be warned, this ain't gonna be pretty. There will be torture, both physical and psychological, and non-explicit long term sexual abuse. It's M for a reason. Ye've been warned.**


	2. Chapter 2

He was sitting by the riverside with Fynn when he woke up. It was odd, in and of itself, but in light of the circumstances Jack had fallen asleep to...well, something was very wrong here.

"Don't think about that," Fynn said gently. It was easy advise to follow – and the fact that the older boy had responded to Jack's thoughts didn't truly register – and so Jack leaned back to lounge in the sunlight with his friend.

"Am I dead?" He asked after a moment.

"You better hope not. I promised to haunt you if you died in this shit hole. I keep my promises, and that'd be a hassle for the both of us."

"You can't haunt me if we're _both_ dead."

"Haunt, kick you're spiritual ass for the rest of eternity, same difference. Either way, there is eternal suffering if you die in here. So, my original point stands: you better not be dead."

"So I'm not dead?"

"Nope."

"Am I dreaming?"

"I didn't say that."

"You know, I don't remember you being this Zen," Jack groused and flopped down onto his back.

"A lot changes in the afterlife."

"I prefer the pre-afterlife you. Zen-you is just really annoying."

Fynn laughed, and Jack beamed at the sound. He hadn't had much chance to hear Fynn laugh when he was... Jack let the thought trail off, and stared at his friend. The older boy looked just the same as Jack remembered: dark brown hair down past his chin, hazel green eyes and dressed like a man from the Victorian era *. But there was a happy contentment in that face that Jack had only seen once in their time together. When he was in the rain with Cassy.

"I'm sorry." The words burst from his lips with a sob. "I'm so, so sorry, Fynn. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I'm sorry that you died for me," Jack broke off in tears and buried his face into his knees.

A gentle hand settles on his shoulder until the tears subsided. Only then did Jack look up. Fynn looked back, eyes kind and loving. He kept the hand on Jack's shoulder.

"It's not your fault. None of this is, or was. And if I don't blame you, you shouldn't blame yourself. It's him. It always been him. And you can survive him Jack. You just need to hold on." Both hands were on Jack's shoulders now. Fynn stared at him intently, and everything about him spoke of urgency.

"You need to hold on, Jack. Little brother. Just hold on. Hold—"

Jack jerked into wakefulness with a sharp gasp. It wasn't bright where he was; there was no river, no Fynn. It was murky, so dimly lit that Jack could only make out the vaguely outlines of the things around him. The room smelled musty, like wet earth. Underground, then, he noted.

He slowly sat up, winced at the twinge in his lower back, and then froze at the memories that the pain brought forth. Bunny had just barely been out of sight before Kyden had thrown him to the ground. 'Alone at last,' he'd said and... and...

Don't think about it! he ordered himself firmly. Don't think, don't think, don't think!

He shakily made his way to his feet. That volt of pain shot back up his spine, this time accompanied by the splash of something warm and sticky against the inside of his thighs. His naked thighs; he was still naked. Jack's stomach rolled and he choked back sobs. Stop it, he ordered himself. You knew what was going to happen.

But there was a difference between knowing what would happen, and experiencing the real thing. The fear, and the pain, and the shame. The sound of heavy panting in his ear.

Jack abruptly lost his legs, and vomited. He gagged on dry heaves when the vomit ran out and gasped on shuddering sobs as he moved away from the puddle and curled into a ball.

"Get it together, Jack. Hold it together." Though the words were meant to be strong, but his voice was shaky. And when he caught sight of the exit – where the dim light was coming from – he scrambled to it in desperation, despite the pain. He clawed at the material blocking the gap. It looked like vines, but it felt like rock and it refused to budge under Jack's desperate fingers.

But then they _did_ move, parting like water around a stone. Jack stared and then scurried back from the sight of booted feet.

Kyden slipped into the underground room, humming – actually _humming_ , as in a jaunty tune – and carrying what looked like a tray of fruit. His fiery eyes lit up when they landed on the winter boy. Jack kept backing away until his back met the far wall.

"You're up," he said gleefully. "Thought you were going to sleep the week away, you lazy-bones. But it's okay, I get it. The first time's rough on everyone; it'll get easier."

"Everyone?" Jack asked, voice almost dazed. Kyden ignored him, and nodded at the puddle of vomit.

"You made a mess. Guess it's a good thing I brought you something to eat." He set the platter aside as he spoke – and yes, it was covered in various fruits and what looked like some kind of meat. Even though he'd just vomited up everything in his stomach, the sight of the food just made Jack queasy. He curled up and did the best he could to hide his nakedness.

He glanced around the room and took stock of the items around it in the new light. It was sparse. There was a pile of fabric in one corner, which was likely meant to serve as a bed. In the other corner was a trunk: a clothing bureau maybe? Speaking of which, there wasn of sign of his own clothes. Or his staff. Go figure.

A harsh smack abruptly pulled Jack from his thoughts. Kyden stared at him casually as Jack reeled from the blow.

"Very rude to daydream while I'm talking, lover."

"Don't call me that!" Jack snapped, earning another slap to the opposite cheek.

"Now, as I was saying. I'm going to need to get a water source in here to clean that up. Might even get you a bath in here while I'm at it. Would you like that? I've never had a bath for any of the others. Could be interesting.

"Anyway, here's how things are going to work: I'm going to ask some questions, and you're going to answer. When you answer, you get rewards," he held up a morsel of food and waved it under Jack's nose. Jack shrank away. "If you don't answer, you get punished. Understand?"

"Others?" Kyden's large hand clapped against Jack's right cheek again, and this time Jack tumbled into the wall behind him with the blow. His head swam from where it collided with the wall.

"That counted as a question, my bird. And you don't answer a question with another question. Do you understand?" he demanded again.

"Yes, I understand," Jack grounded out.

"Wonderful." He offered the piece of fruit; it looked like one of the berries Fynn had once found by the river. When Jack tried to grab it, the man pulled away, and motioned for Jack to open his mouth. Implying that he wanted to hand feed him, like some kind of pet.

Well, that was one humiliation that Jack was not going to suffer through if he could help it. So he kept his jaw stubbornly locked and held his hand out for the berry.

"Refusing rewards also warrants punishment." He gave Jack yet another casual slap. Pain exploded from his cheek and his eyes watered.

"Stop it!"

"Then stop playing stubborn." He waved the berry again.

Jack knew that this was training. Conditioning, punishment for doing something 'wrong' and treats for behaving. And he felt that going along with, even just a little, was a sign of giving in. But he also knew that if he had any hope of surviving until Bunny came back with rescue, he would have to play along. Just a little. So, much as it made his stomach curl, he opened his mouth and allowed Kyden to place the berry on his tongue. He almost vomited back up, but through a herculean force of will, he managed to keep it down.

"Good boy. And you're name is Jack, correct? You never answered the first time."

"Yes. My name is Jack."

"Excellent," he chirped, offering another fruit. "And, because you're doing so well, I'll answer your question.

"Yes, I've kept others here. Sometimes I see someone and just... I need more, than just a quick roll in the leaves. So I take them here. Of course, I never remember them once they're gone, and I've never kept anyone here as long as I plan on keeping you. So no need to get jealous." Jack shuddered and swallowed hard against the bile rising in his throat.

"Next question: the fuzzy you were with, that was the Easter Bunny, wasn't it? One of the Guardians?"

"Yes." This time it was the mystery meat that was pushed past his lips.

"Why were you with one of the Guardians?"

Jack hesitated, and Kyden raised a warning hand. Jack flinched away, and answered in a rush, "Because I'm one too! I'm a Guardian."

The hand lowered slowly, and he stared at the boy in awe. "You're one of the Guardians?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes."

The fire man smiled, and plopped a morsel of food into Jack's mouth for each question. Then he just continued to stare at Jack.

"I knew you were special, but this," he huffed a laugh, "You're just amazing."

The fire man continued to stare at him for a moment, and in the next instant he was invading Jack's personal space. Jack's eyes widened and he did his best to shrink into the wall as the man drew closer. The ache in his lower body became more pronounced and he shivered.

"No," he said, desperation leaking into his voice. Kyden ignored him and pressed closer, until he was flush against Jack's body. The boy let out a few harsh sobs when Kyden forced his thighs apart. "I'm doing what you want. I'm answering! _I'm answering_!"

Not again, he thought with some of the hysteria that had seeped into his voice bleeding over into his thoughts. Please, please not again.

Luckily, Kyden did nothing more than settle against Jack and bury his nose in the boy's neck. Then he moved away, with a smile that could almost be described as dreamy. Jack uncurled ever so slightly, keeping a wary eye on the man.

"My amazing little bird." He offered Jack another bite of food. "You know, I know a thing or two about Guardians. They're chosen, aren't they? Not made from scratch like us, but chosen as someone else and then made? Isn't that right?"

"Yes."

"And who were you?"

Jack hesitated. "I don't... I don't know." Kyden's face darkened, and Jack rushed to justify himself. "I lost my memories when I became a spirit. I don't remember anything."

It was a stupid gamble to lie. Everything hung on keeping Kyden happy, which the darkening scowl on the man's face said that he was absolutely _not_. But at the same time, Jack refused to let the memory of his transition into the life of a Guardian be tainted by this man. He hadn't shared that memory with anyone yet, and Kyden was not going to be the first. He'd already taken enough from Jack.

So the winter spirit kept his mouth shut, determined to whether whatever consequences came his way.

The consequences were not pretty. Kyden dealt him another blow to the cheek, and Jack saw stars. Then he grabbed the boy by the throat and pulled him to his feet.

"There is one thing that I will not tolerate, my bird, and that is lying." With that he turned on his heels and stalked to the other side of the room, pulling Jack with him. "You learn a few things about elementals, with a hobby such as mine. It varies of course, but there are a few things across the board that all of us can't stand. Small spaces are one of those."

They'd reached the trunk on the other side of the room as Kyden spoke, and with that last bit he folded Jack into it and slammed the lid shut. Jack flew into a panic the moment darkness closed around him. He pounded and scratched at the lid and kicked out the best he could, but with the size of the trunk his legs were practically curled up to his chest.

"Let me out! _Let me out_!"

"When you're ready to behave, my bird, you can come out."

There was no sound from Kyden after that, and Jack knew that the man had left the room. His heart dropped at the thought, and he redoubled his efforts to force the lid open. It didn't matter. The lid never budged, and in the eternity that followed his imprisonment, the only sounds in the room were Jack's own hysterical screams.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

Bunny stormed into the workshop with a pounding headache and a heavy heart. Tooth was the only other Guardian in the room when he arrived. She took one look at his face, and the hopeful light in her face died away. That soured Bunny's mood even further, and he felt the distinct need to destroy something.

His wish was granted in the form of an offered glass of eggnog, which he hurled at the nearest wall.

"Nothing?" She asked quietly, even though clarification wasn't needed.

"Not a damn thing. The only one who didn't choke at the thought of helping Jack was the Groundhog. And he buggered off as soon as 'e realized it'd put 'im in danger. Bastard," he muttered bitterly. "I take it ya didn't have any more luck than me?"

"None. I'm sure North or Sandy will have more luck," she added in a rush when Bunny let out an irritated sigh. He made a noncommittal sound of agreement, but he had a feeling they both knew the truth.

After coming up with a vague plan of attack, the four of them had split up with the hopes of finding others to help them. The list of spirits in the world was extensive, and as such it had taken the Guardians weeks to get through half of the spirts that they knew personally. They'd even went to talk to the elemental spirits. But each elemental they talked to had made it clear that if Mother Nature said they were banned from the Oasis, they were _not going_ to the Oasis. Even the Seasonals, Jack supposed 'siblings', refused to lift a finger to help the boy.

The answer had been about the same with all the spirits they went to: anyone who was will to help them, even if it was just because they were Guardians, balked as soon as Jack was mentioned.

Bunny wanted to believe that the last two members of their group would have more luck, but something in his gut convinced him otherwise. That feeling said that no one was going to risk their lives in order to help Jack Frost. It made him so angrily sick, not just because of the hopelessness of the situation, but because less than a year ago, Bunny himself would have had the same reaction.

After all, Jack Frost was just a nuisance. A juvenile annoyance that was always pushing his boundaries and causing mayhem, and making a mess wherever he went. Why would anyone risk themselves for someone like that?

Bunny sighed heavily. Just a few months...

He wondered what was wrong with the world, that such a bright, wonderful boy was met with such open hostility. The whole thing left him feeling unspeakable tired, and old.

"Bunny, we're going to help him," Tooth said, drawing Bunny out of those churning thoughts. "Even if no one else will help us, we'll find a way. He's going to be okay."

"He's not going to be okay. We can save him, and that's all that matters, but he won't be okay. It's too late for him to be okay." He thought of that keening scream and felt tears creep up the back of his throat.

"He's a strong boy."

"There are some things you can't be strong against."

"Bunny, don't do this to yourself."

"His own family won't help him!"

" _We're_ helping him." The message intended behind those words was clear: we are his family. But the uplift in spirit, the hope, that they were meant to inspire was lost on the rabbit.

"Yeah, and a fat lot of good that we're doing him. Some family," he added in a whisper.

"You know, for someone who's supposed to guard hope, you're a very pessimistic person."

Bunny let out a bark of surprised laughter, and shook his head. "Part of that gig is makin' sure no one has ta deal with _false_ hope. Too much of that can kill ya." He smirked, and then sobered with a heavy sigh. Now a days, smiling and laughing seemed like a blatant betrayal. He didn't think he could go on much longer like this.

Bunny looked up at the feel of gentle hand over his, meeting the equally gentle violet gaze of his friend.

"We have to be strong, for Jack. If nothing else, we have to do that."

"I know. We owe him that, at least, _I_ owe him that, and I know that. But it's just so... I can't..." Bunny massaged his forehead.

He'd been having nightmares every night– and he was sure Pitch was laughing his ass off at this entire situation, and loving every minute of it. He hadn't been sleeping, he could barely bring himself to eat; the sadness and hopelessness that was hanging over them was suffocating. And somehow they had to be strong.

Tooth, either reading his mind or stuck under the same blanket he was, sighed and squeezed his hand, offering the only comfort she could. They sat like in melancholy but comfortable silence until North and Sandy arrived. Despite everything, Bunny still looked up with a swell of hope. One look at their faces quelled the feeling.

Strong, he reminded himself against the depression that tightened even more around his heart. Be strong for Jackie. Be strong.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

Jack wasn't sure how long he was trapped in the truck; there was no way to tell time in the unending darkness. It was long enough that he'd had to relieve himself twice, however long that was. By the time Kyden heaved him out the trunk, Jack was sure that he would choke to death on the scent of piss, blood and fear that had cloaked the small space.

"Wow, you stink," the man said with a chuckle. "Good thing I got this up and running, huh?"

He motioned to a large wooden contraption near the entrance. A tub, Jack realized. Crudely made, yes, but water tight. Kyden dragged him over, as Jack's legs couldn't hold him after so long without standing.

He didn't protest when Kyden dumped him into the water – cold, probably directly from the river (did that mean they were close to the river? Jack wondered) – too busy taking deep lungful's of fresh air. He didn't fight when the man started scrubbing him down, starting with his bloodied finger nails, then moving down to his hips and thighs, which had Jack flinching, and then finishing with rinsing out his grimy hair. Fighting wasn't his top priority when he was enjoying the wide open space – comparatively speaking – of the room.

Jack _did_ struggle, however, when Kyden stripped down and climbed into the water with him. He thrashed and scratched and screamed and bit. But in the end, his efforts only earned a laugh from the fire man. He was still pressed over the side of the 'tub' and violated a second time.

Afterward, Kyden generously allowed Jack some much needed sleep. Jack, who had been hoping from another strange-but-comforting visit from Fynn, was disappointed to be met with dreamless sleep that didn't last nearly long enough. Kyden was looming over him as he woke, ready with more questions.

Things continued on like that, without exception, for a long while. The moment Jack was awake, Kyden was there. The questions varied in their intimacy, from the inane: _'what's your favorite_ _color?' – blue (obviously)_ ; to uncomfortably personal: _'why do you think everyone hates you so much?' – I don't know_ ; to extremely personal: _'tell me about your past'_ – which Jack refused to answer.

When Jack was bad – when he refused to answer, or refused to do what the older spirit wanted – he was violently raped, forced into the trunk again and denied food and water until Kyden decided to let him out. When he was good, he was 'gently' raped, fed small rations, and given sparse rewards: a bath every once and a while, blankets for his poor excuse for a bed, even answers to his own questions. Most of them boiled down to _'why'_ , and the answer was always the same; _'why not?'_

Much as Jack hated to think about it, he knew that he was giving into that training. He answered questions more readily – though his resolve to keep his human life to himself remained iron. When Kyden requested that Jack feed _him_ morsels from the platter he brought, Jack did so. When he asked to sleep with Jack on the pathetic bed, Jack allowed Kyden to use him as a teddy bear each night.

He'd been reluctant when Kyden demanded that Jack show him more affection during sex, but after another confinement in The Trunk (as Jack beginning to think of it) he became accustom to offering his lips before and after each violation. And now he didn't spend as much time bleeding or in The Trunk. Sometimes it didn't seem like all that much of a trade.

He hated succumbing this way but...he'd been here for a long time. He could only tell time when he was out of the trunk, where he spent the majority of his time early on, and it was impossible to tell just how long those stretches of time were. But from what he could tell from the times in between those stretches, he'd been trapped with Kyden for a few months now, at least. Probably longer.

It made him wonder; what was keeping the others? He'd told Bunny to get help, but he didn't think it would take so long for help to come. _Were_ they even coming? Jack hated thinking that, but the longer it took for help to come, the more he wondered. And the more his strength to fight waned.

X

It was around eight months – by Jack's best guess – before there was a change in what had become routine in his life. At first, when he jerked awake with a surprised breath, Jack's first instinct was to go limp again, figuring that Kyden had decided to screw him while he was asleep, again – the man had taken a liking to that lately. He'd found that it was better to stay still when that was the case.

As the seconds ticked by and nothing happened, Jack decided that Kyden, for once, was not the reason he'd been woken up. He cracked a cautious eye open and peeked around the room. It was dim and gloomy as ever, but oddly enough, there was no sign of Kyden. Confused now, Jack slowly levered himself up and glanced around for whatever it was that had woken him up.

He jumped back with a startled yelp when he caught sight of the girl on the other side of the room. She stared back at him with tearful eyes, and Jack distantly realized that it was her sobbing that had pulled out sleep. She looked like she was about his age, probably one or two years older – the echoing thought of _'he likes the younger ones'_ drifted through his thoughts, and he shuddered – with light blue eyes and reddish-brown curly hair that was past her shoulders.

After a few seconds of studying her, Jack remembered that he was still stark naked, as Kyden had taken his clothes hostage, and pulled the thin blanket the man had allowed him around his waist. Once it was secured, he looked back to the girl with a blush racing over his cheeks, and offered her a shaky smile. She hadn't moved from her huddled position opposite from Jack, or moved her teary gaze away from him.

"Uh, hi. I'm Jack," he offered, and then mentally face-palmed. Smooth, Frost, he thought with an eye roll. "What's your name?"

The girl continued to stare, and for a minute Jack thought she wouldn't answer him. Then a shaky whisper said, "Laura."

"Hi, Laura." He paused, at a loss at what to say next. 'Nice to meet you', was more of an insult than anything else. 'It's going to be okay' was a blatant lie, and unhelpful. So he settled on, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, and used the back of her hand to scrub at her tears.

"What are you doing here?" He asked after a long bout of silence. "I mean, I know you didn't choose to be here, don't get me wrong. But how did you get here?"

"I don't know. I fell through... some hole and I ended up here." She stopped abruptly with a sob. "There were others here and he...he told us we needed to run if we wanted to live. And then he started... he—"

Laura broke off again, but Jack was too shocked to try and comfort her. What she was describing was straight out of Jack's nightmares, his worst memories. And it was supposed to be over. Jack had been promised that it was over.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Jack almost laughed. Was it really that surprising that Kyden lied? No, not really.

"...how long have you been here?"

Jack jerked back to reality and looked back to the girl, who stared at him in a way that said he'd been zoned out for a very long time. He smiled sheepishly and rubbed his arm.

"I really don't... I don't know for sure. I've lost track of the days."

Laura sent him a partially horrified, partially pitying, and Jack wished he'd put that a little more gently. Not that there was a better way to say 'I've been here so long I don't even _know_ how long'. What was even worse was the fact that he couldn't think of anything to say to comfort her. The first thing that came to mind was, 'but you won't be here that long' wasn't really helpful as the reason was that Kyden would probably kill her soon.

Unless Laura was here as a replacement for Jack, which wasn't much better an alternative for either of them; life with Kyden was a living hell, and Jack wasn't really ready to die yet.

As voicing any of those thoughts wouldn't do but scare the crap out of her, and in lack of anything better to say, Jack settled on a safer topic.

"So, how do you feel about snowmen?"

Laura stared at him in dumbed shock for a second, and then she let out a thrill of laughter. It was short, but the sound had Jack feeling lighter than he had in... however long.

They fell into almost friendly banter after that. They shared some of their favorite places around the world. It was an interesting conversation: neither of them had any of those places in common, and both saw places that the other never did. Laura was a fire sprite – not a summer spirit, as Jack's first thought had subconsciously insisted– responsible for fires around the world that served as Nature's clean up; so, no, she was not a fan of snowmen, snowballs, or anything snow related.

"Although I like you, so far," she hastily added, and Jack laughed.

So Laura could tell Jack of the warmer places of the world, the deserts – although he'd officially seen enough of those to last a life time – tropical areas, jungles. And Jack, in turn, told Laura all about the colder parts of the world. It was a fascinating exchange, and the most fun Jack'd had since he'd been trapped.

By the time the dim light flowing from the entrance faded away, Kyden still hadn't returned. Laura huddled against Jack, and he held her as she shivered in the pitch black darkness.

It was well into the afternoon on the second day before the vines at the entrance parted. The chatter and laughter died away. Laura stared with wide eyes and shrank against Jack.

"He's coming," she said. Jack nodded and stared at the entrance with the same fixation. "What's he going to do?"

Her eyes scanned over Jack even as she asked. They hadn't talked about what Kyden was doing to Jack, but it didn't take much deducing from Jack's state of undress to figure it out. Or to figure out the odds of Kyden doing the same thing to her. She stared at him desperately, looking for some kind of reassurance or comfort.

And Jack was never one to see that look without doing something about it. So he smiled and moved in front of her so that his body blocked hers as much as possible.

"I'm going to do everything I can to make sure he doesn't do anything to you. I promise. You're going to be alright." He turned to face the approaching man, and tried not to think about what he would have to do in order to keep the man away from his new friend.

Kyden strolled over to them with a chipper smile. Jack's toes curled and he shuffled Laura back.

"I see you've met our newest guest. Do you like her? I figured a familiar face would make you feel better. You've seemed down lately." Kyden smiled in a mockery of affection, and Jack wanted nothing more than to scratch out his eyes in that moment. Instead, he settled for sending the man a hot glare.

"Stay back," he growled. Kyden crouched in front of the two, still with that infuriating smile. "Why are you doing this? You said it would stop if I stayed." He didn't notice the way Laura stiffened and looked at him, too busy staring the older spirit down.

"That was the first deal, which you so very rudely declined. You're deal to save you're fuzzy friend didn't include anyone else. Should have thought of that."

"But—"

"You're with him?" Jack whirled around and met Laura's horrified look of betrayal. She inched away from him ever so slightly. "You're working with him."

"No, Laura," he reached out, and the girl flinched back. Jack's heart clenched. "It isn't like that. I swear, it's not. I –" Jack cut off with a yelp as he was jerked back by the throat into Kyden's solid weight.

"Some people are just so ungrateful," he said in mock sympathy. "You spend all this time comforting her, and she turns on you at the first opportunity. Just like everyone else." Jack recognized the reference to his initiation into the Guardians, something Kyden had forced out of him after his last trip into The Trunk. The winter spirit hadn't said that openly, but the elder still picked up on it.

"You were watching me?" he asked, rather than address the other implication.

"I'm always watching you. It is one of my favorite things to do."

Jack shuddered and swallowed thickly.

"W-what do I have to do? What do I have to do to get you to let her go? I'll do it," he promised, turning to face the larger spirit and pressing against him in a way he hoped was seductive. His stomach heaved with the effort, but if it could save Laura... "Whatever it takes."

Kyden suddenly jerked Jack's head back, and dragged his teeth of the exposed skin of his neck. His lips hovered over Jack's, and he gave the boy a cruel smile.

"There's nothing you can do that'll save her."

"What?!"

"This is something that I want to _share_ with you. My absolutely favorite thing to do."

Jack went numb as Kyden nudged him aside. His ears rang and rough bile crawled up his throat. No, no, no, he thought in a daze. He couldn't be forced to watch this again. It was supposed to be over. Even if _he_ was stuck in this hell loop, it was supposed to be over.

From what felt like miles away, Jack heard Laura whimper. The sound jerked him out of his horrified paralysis.

"No!" He jumped to his feet and ran headlong into the man's torso. Kyden went down, and Jack did his best to keep him pinned down. "Laura, run!"

Jack dodged a blind jab from Kyden and delivered his own blow to the man's nose – and oh, that felt _sooo_ good – as the girl dashed by. He wasn't so lucky with the next blow. The hit caught him right across the cheek, and sent him reeling. The blow had him losing his hold on Kyden and crashing to the floor, which left him open to a kick to the ribs. His vision blackened, and by the time it cleared, Jack was on the floor, bound in those thrice-cursed vines again. And Laura was on the ground next to him.

"No, no," he sobbed, closing his eyes in horror.

"We'll be dealing with that little outburst soon," Kyden promised, huffing in anger. "But first, we need to get started on our new friend here."

Laura screamed in shock and fear as Kyden turned her over onto her back. She shrieked as the man cut her, cried as he burned her, and made an agonized keening as Kyden beat her until her jaw broke. It went on for hours, with Jack only able to watch, and sob. Then, almost abruptly, it was quiet, and Laura didn't react no matter what the man did to her.

"Well, that's disappointing," Kyden said as he dragged his knife over the girl's stomach. Again, she gave no reaction. "I thought she'd last longer than that. Oh well, they can't all be winners."

He sent Jack a smile – although it was still tight around the edges, so the anger from earlier was still there – and pulled him up, cutting the vines as he did so. Then he offer Jack the knife, hilt first.

"Kill her," he said casually to Jack's confused look.

"What?!"

"I told you I wanted to share this with you, and this is the way I want to share it. There's nothing quite like it. Feeling the blood around your hand and watching life leech away. You'll love it." His eyes were lit with manic excitement, but then he scowled as Jack just stared at him in horror. "Come'on, it's not like there's all that much of her left. It's barely even killing."

"No!"

Kyden face darkened even more.

"I'm already cross with you, my bird. Do you really want to be stubborn about this?" He nudged the hilt closer. "Just do it. I'll go easier on you."

"NO! I'm not like you. You can't make me like you!" He smacked the knife away and stared the older spirit down.

Kyden glared back, and without taking his eyes off of Jack, plunged the dagger into Laura's heart. The girl didn't make a sound as she died, so Jack screamed for her. The scream was cut off by a harsh blow to the face. Jack went down, and immediately, Kyden was on him. It was hard to say how long the beating lasted. Between continuous blows to his face and hard kicks to the body, Jack wasn't capable of figuring out which way was up.

By the time the man flipped Jack onto his stomach and stripped the blanket from his waist, Jack was only half conscious. In the back of his mind, Jack was grateful for that. It meant that he was only half aware of the rape that followed.

He had trouble breathing when he was deposited in The Trunk, and he couldn't open one of his eyes. He sobbed, and tried to stop because crying made it even harder to breathe. Despite that knowledge, he couldn't get the tears under control, and he passed out.

His dreams where filled with Laura's last moments.

Kyden brought half a dozen spirits to the room in the time that followed – knowing what he did of the man's game, it had to be a few weeks at the very least. Every time, Kyden would leave them alone with Jack for a day or so, and try as he might, Jack couldn't stop himself from talking to them, and by extension growing attached. And then Kyden would come, torture them, and then offer Jack the knife to kill them. And each time Jack said no, he was dealt the same brutal punishment.

All the teens had similar features: the girls were always red-heads, and the boys always had light brown hair. With the amount of trauma dealt to him, Jack's skills of observation were less than stellar, but it still took him an obscene amount of time to figure out why Kyden chose them. But he did figure it out, and it made him queasy with horror.

All the spirits looked like Fynn and Cassy. And Kyden wanted Jack to kill them.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

The trees of the Oasis were covered in thick fog. Bunny raced through them, with the others trailing behind him. After so, so long, they were finally doing it. They were going to get Jack back.

This was not time for taking it slow.

He caught sight of a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye and skidded to a stop. He looked over his shoulder to alert the others, only to stop as he saw that there no longer anyone behind him. Bunny frowned. He glanced around the collection of trees, looking for the others who were right behind him just a few seconds ago.

Instead of his fellow rescuers, Bunny's eyes landed on Jack. His heart swelled, in relief and joy, and then dropped like a stone. The kid's face was bloodless, and filled with sadness and betrayal and disappointment. His eyes held much of the same emotions and displayed a joylessness and deadness that didn't belong on Jack's face. However, Bunny's attention was only briefly focused on Jack's face, as his eyes were drawn to the area below the boy's chin.

Jack neck had been sliced open. Bunny stared in morbid fascination, mouth gaping as it tried to form words. An impossibility when horror had forced all of the air out his lungs. Jack just stared at him with that joyless expression.

"Why didn't you come back? I waited for you, and you didn't come." Bunny's stomach rolled, and he once again tried to speak. Again, nothing came out. Jack continued, "Why didn't you come back? I trusted you. Why didn't you come?"

Figures suddenly appeared along the misted trees; the other Guardians, the kids from Burgess, members from Bunny's long dead family. They all stared at him with expressions that matched Jack's, and their whispers filled the air.

' _Trusted you...'_

' _How could you...'_

' _Where were you...'_

' _Why, why, why...'_

"Why?"

Bunny jolted into wakefulness, breathing heavily, shaking and drenched in sweat. He cradled his head and tried to get his breathing and shaking under control. The nightmare wasn't a new thing, although it never failed to distress him. It was becoming a nightly occurrence that became increasingly worse the longer it took to find Jack.

It was going on ten months since Jack's imprisonment with Kyden – since Bunny'd left him behind – and it had become clear that the Guardians couldn't count on help from any of the other spirits. Which meant they had to re-think their plans.

Tooth had suggested sending a handful of her fairies into the Oasis, to bring back any useful information they could. None of the fairies had returned; as soon as they crossed the barrier, the magic connecting them to Tooth, the only thing keeping them alive, was severed. Tooth felt each death, and it took a toll on her that she still hadn't recovered from it. Bunny hated to think of how Jack would react; he loved those little fairies something fierce.

The tragedy summed up the whole of their problems. They couldn't save Jack without the use of their magic. With that barrier in place, they couldn't use magic, and there was nothing they could do about that barrier.

They knew where Jack was, but they still couldn't get to him. It was infuriating. The cold in his bones melt away as hot anger took its place.

No, it wasn't infuriating, it was ridiculous! The barrier was the only thing keeping them from Jack, and they knew someone who could take it down. Yes, that was it.

Bunny vaulted out of bed, feeling lighter than he had in months. None of them could continue to live this way: jumping for hopeless plan to hopeless plan, and living under of constant depression as they lost sleep imagining what Jack was going through. And he had a plan to stop it.

Mother Nature was going to help them. Bunny wasn't usually one for ceaseless badgering, but for this, he would badger like no other. The woman was bound to crack.

X

"I believe I've made my position on this very clear."

She hadn't cracked, and Bunny'd been at it for hours.

"Yes, ya have been, and I don't understand it. Jack's the representation of Winter, he's crucial to the balance of the world. Isn't the collapse of the seasons worth your attention?"

Mother Nature didn't look up from her work – it looked like she was tinkering with a species of flower, but Bunny was too angry to pay it much attention.

"Frost is hardly irreplaceable. There are a number of winter sprites capable of taking up the mantle, and I can handle the duties of Winter until that point."

"How can ya chose ta stand for someone like Kyden, who does nothin' but senseless murder, over someone like Jack? Kyden does _nothin'_ and Jack's the Spirit of Winter!" Bunny snapped. How was there even a debate about who was more important?

"As a matter of fact, Kyden could be considered very important. Every population needs a predator to weed out the weak, and unfit. I very firmly believe in survival of the fittest, and if Frost can't weather this, he obviously isn't fit."

The woman spoke coldly, as if she was speaking common fact. Bunny stared in horror.

"Yer practically his _mother_!"

"No, I am not. He is something that the Moon created, without my knowledge or consent. And as if that wasn't insult enough, he had the gall to make the boy a representation of one of my Seasons! Frost has never been one of my own, and his very existence is an insult!" For the first time, anger – or at the very least, irritation – leaked into the woman's voice. Any other time, Bunny would have felt a burst of vindictive pleasure, but right now he was too numb in shock as the full impact of her words hit him.

"Is that what this is?" He said in a whisper. "Are ya just...usin' this as an excuse ta get Jack outta the way?" Gaia didn't answer, but that was answer enough. "Ya cold-hearted _bitch_."

That finally got a visible reaction. The woman stiffened, and then slowly rose and turned to face the rabbit. She was nearly as full head taller than he was, something she'd inherited from her father, and she used the extra height to loom over him. The rabbit met her glare with one of his own, fear for his safety outweighed by the sick anger in his gut.

"I won't tolerate insults in my home. So get out, before I decided a reprimand is in order."

Bunny was ready to do so – this woman's presence made him sick – but not before he got the last word. "Yer father would be so proud. Yer takin' after 'im perfectly."

Gaia snarled. "OUT!" This time the command was accompanied by a violent burst of wind.

Bunny turned on his heels and stalked off. He caught sight of Adam out of the corner of his eye, but didn't spare him a glance. The boy was the prime reason that Jack was back with that monster (aside from Bunny himself) and Bunny didn't trust himself around the Fall spirit. He was damn tired of Nature spirits in general after this.

And he held onto that, because below the tired anger, the depression that had haunted him was lurking, once again.

-Line Break – Line Break –Line Break-

Jack didn't remember what led to this, not specifically. He thought it started during one of the series of questions Kyden insisted on asking. None of the questions stuck in his mind, but he did recall that the fire man had allowed Jack to ask his own questions. Kyden hadn't brought anymore spirits to the room, and so without a constant reason to disobey him, Jack had fallen back into the man's good graces.

He thought that his questions, as usual, summed up to why. Why are you doing this to me? And the thing that he very clearly remembered was Kyden's answer:

"Because you're all that I think about. Every day and every night. And I get butterflies in my stomach when I do. I think that's love. Is that love?"

And at that, Jack had exploded into a disgusted rage.

"Is it love? Of course it's not love! A monster can't feel love, you sick _fuck_. And I would never love something like you!"

It was hard for Jack to say which part of his outburst set Kyden off. But whatever it was, it proved to be the last straw for the fire man. With the sheer look of fury that fell over the man's face, Jack was sure that he would finally kill him.

Instead, Kyden finally made good on his threats to remove Jack's eyes.

He'd been through a lot since he'd been trapped here. With the way that he constantly fought against his 'training', Jack was in near constant pain, some of the worst he'd been through in his long life. But this...this intentional _maiming_ – pain didn't cover it. Jack wasn't sure how to describe it. Other than to say that it was the worst experience of his life.

The thought made him choke back a sob. He was back in The Trunk, and it was crucial that he keep his breathing under control. Although, the fact that he could only tell where he was by touch, which brought his latest torture to the front of his mind, made that nearly impossible. He was hyperventilating, and the longer it took him to control his breathing, the harder it became to keep from crying.

He didn't know when the mixture of sobs and hyperventilation pushed him to unconsciousness, but he knew that he was dreaming when he opened his eyes and saw bright sunlight. Any other time, Jack might have been overjoyed; he hadn't seen sunlight for months now, after all. But right now, the sight made him melancholy more than anything else.

He stopped being able to feel joy a while ago – sometime between the last rape and the latest visit into The Trunk. He wondered idly if that could be dangerous to his health: fun and joy were the core of his existence, after all. But he couldn't muster any real worry over it.

Pushing those thoughts away, Jack flicked his gaze around his surroundings. He was back by the river again, lying in the mid-afternoon light like last time. When his eyes landed on the girl next to him, he almost found it in him to smile. Almost.

"I was starting to think you guys wouldn't come back. Where's Fynn?"

"This whole dream communication thing isn't easy. It takes a great deal of energy to get just one of us here; two would be impossible. Plus, Fynn is still getting his energy together after the last dream," she explained, flicking a lock of curly red hair behind her ear as she did.

Now Jack _did_ smile. Fynn might have been much more Zen than he'd ever been in life, but Cassy was still exactly the same. Cassy's face lit up with her own smile, and then faded as she gently grasped Jack's hand.

"You're not doing very good," she said simply.

"What gave it away?"

"You need to hold on, Jack," Cassy urged, ignoring the sarcastic reply. "Just a little while longer. I promise you, it's almost over."

"I'm so tired."

Cassy gave him a panicked look, and began shaking him like she meant to keep him awake. It actually felt appropriate. Jack felt so heavy, and so, so tired.

"Jack, don't. Don't do that. You can't give up, not now."

"No one's coming." It was the first time Jack had said it out loud, and it felt like the truth. For whatever reason, Bunny and the others weren't coming for him.

The worst part was, Jack wasn't entirely surprised. He'd been expecting the Guardians to turn him out since they'd welcomed him into the group. The trust he'd felt in Bunny after their short time in the Oasis together was just a break, no a _denial_ , to the truth that he'd known his whole life. No one would ever come for him.

" _They are coming_!" Cassy gripped both of his shoulders now, forcing Jack's heavy eyes to focus on her. He was so tired... "Jack, you need to listen to me. I don't have long now. They are coming. Help is coming and you just need to hold on until they get to you. Just hold on."

"Cassy?" He felt her hands start to fade away, and blindly grabbed for them. But it wasn't that the girl was moving away, it was that she was literally fading, flickering like a faulty television.

"I'm sorry, I can't stay. I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Just remember that help is coming. Just hold on for a little longer Jack."

"Cassy!"

The dream shattered with that cry. In the next moment, Jack wasn't able to tell if his eyes were open or closed, and the persistent ache of his retinas growing back became apparent. He wanted to scream at the unfairness of it.

"No! No, Cassy, please come back! Cassy, come back!" He trailed off into sobs, and wrapped his arms around himself. "Cassy!"

But no matter how much he screamed, or tried to force himself back to it, the dream was gone, and something told him with absolute certainty that it wasn't coming back. He was on his own. Well, and truly, alone.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

Christmas went off without a hitch; it was actually one of the most successful years in recent history. And yet there was no joy in the workshop.

Normally, North would invite the other Guardians over after he finished his run – the man loved a party, no matter how tired he was. Normally, the elves and Yeti would be in a hurricane of activity; getting the decorations up, preparing food, and getting ready for the next year even as they participated in the festivities. Normally, the workshop was full of noise and light and happiness. The epitome of what made Christmas special.

Today, the Yeti and elves were silent, and morosely cleaned the mess from the chaos that was the final dash in Christmas delivery. There were no sounds of happiness, no warm lights. The workshop was practically dead.

Tooth wandered through the factory floor with a heavy heart. Naturally, none of them felt like partying, and so North hadn't even bothered sending out invitations. But the fairy came anyway, because she had a feeling that North would need someone, even if he didn't think that he did.

One of the Yeti directed her to North's study, were he'd been since he returned to the Pole. She nodded her thanks, and flittered to the mentioned room. North was hunched over his desk when she opened the door, looking older than she'd ever seen him. He looked up upon hearing the door, and rather than gripe about his policy on knocking – as he usually did – he just sighed and waved her in.

"I am glad you came. Did not wish to be alone," he said as she came over.

"Me neither."

She settled on the desk, so that she faced him, and followed North's down-turned gaze. Nestled in his hand was the tiny nesting doll that he'd given Jack after the battle with Pitch.

"I've always loved how you managed to get his smile just right," she said fondly, tracing the little painted face as she did. She expected an 'of course' that usually followed a compliment to North's work. Instead, she was only met with more silence. Tooth sighed and fished for another line of conversation.

Her eyes settled on a small wooden case resting on the desk – the only thing on North's usually cluttered desk. "What's this?" She asked.

"A present for Jack."

Tooth hummed and gently lifted the lid. Inside where a collection of paints, held in tiny glasses and nestled in velvet lining, and a handful of paintbrushes. The paints were uniquely bright in color, shades that no one else could achieve – except, perhaps, Aster – and the brushes were perfectly sculpted, with every hair on the brush in place to the point that they seemed to be a part of the handle.

"It's beautiful."

North hummed, half in acceptance and half in agreement. It was some of his finest work: he'd made sure of it. "Do you remember, our first Christmas with Jack?"

"He disappeared a week before-hand. We didn't see him again until January," she recalled.

"He was afraid that we would cast him off again. Did not wish to be here if that was case. Given our last holiday, is not surprising." Tooth nodded sadly. Jack had never said as much, but they all knew it was the case.

"In a way, was blessing. Gave me time to get to know boy, find what he would truly like. Boy loves painting so. He paints leaves around Burgess in the fall. I wished to give to him today." North's voice broke, and his hand tightened around the little doll. Tooth took his free hand.

"He'll love it, North. You can give it to him when we get him back. He'll need that." North looked at her, and the expression in his eyes made her heart drop. "We'll get him back, North. We are going to get him back."

North gave her that same sad look and bowed his head. Tooth opened her mouth to speak again, but the words caught in her throat, and she felt hot tears pool over her irises. So instead she brushed her forehead against his.

Jack had only been a Guardian for a little over two years, and he'd been missing for all but a few precious months of that. But still, he'd become an intricate part of their group, especially when he moved into the Pole with North. As Tooth began to spend more and more time there as well, almost to the point that she lived with them, the three of them had become something like a family.

The loss of him hurt more than any words described. So they sat there, huddled together to offer the only comfort they could. Two parents mourning their missing child.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

"What do you mean he's not coming back? He promised he'd visit."

Bunny cringed as he forced himself to look into heartbroken, teary brown eyes. He and the other Guardians knew that they needed to keep Jack's base of believers up. Even if it was doubtful that the lack of believers would do the same amount of damage to Jack as it had done to them on Easter of 2012 – and given what they knew of Nature spirits and of Jack's past before guardianship, such an outcome seemed likely to be the least of their worries – Jack still needed all the strength he could get. Talking to Jamie was the easiest, quickest way to go about that.

Besides, Jamie had the right to know why Jack wasn't visiting, despite his promise to do so. The older boy had been missing for going on a year now, and Jamie was clearly worried. The two boys had become thick as thieves after they first met, the way that only young children could in such a short time. They all cared for Jamie, yes, but with Jack it was true friendship.

So yeah, the kid deserved to know what was going on, or at least the kid friendly version. And Bunny felt that it was his responsibility to tell him. But it didn't make this any easier.

He swallowed thickly. "Sorry, kid. Jackie... he's in a spot of trouble. And he won't be able ta come around for a while."

"Is he okay?" The young boy asked.

 _No_! He wanted to shout. _He's not okay, he's never going to_ _ **be**_ _okay, and it's because I left him with a monster! No matter how many times everyone wants to ask, that's what it is._ Of course, shouting that at a child and taking out his long pent up aggression on said child wouldn't make him a very good Guardian. So he took a calming breath before speaking. "We're gonna get him back."

Jamie stared at him with alarming perceptive eyes. "There was a girl who used to live next-door to us," he said suddenly. "A few years ago. We weren't really friends, but I still liked her, and we talked whenever we saw each other at school.

"Then she disappeared one day, on the way home from school. My Mom and Dad tried to keep it from me and Soph, but her parents went around the neighborhood asking the adults if they knew where she was, and then the police came. There was no keeping us from understanding after that; we've all been in the 'Stranger Danger' classes." That phrase didn't mean anything to Bunny, but he thought he could piece the meaning together. He didn't like the picture it made; it meant that Jamie understood a lot more about this situation than Bunny was comfortable with. "The police found her a few days later, and caught the guy who had her. I heard my parents say that he was a peed-o-file. I don't know what that is, but they sure seemed to think it was bad. Mom said," he peeked over his shoulder, like he was worried his mother might over-hear him. Any other time, Bunny might have laughed. "She said that she hoped that they 'fried his perverted ass'.

"Is this like that? Is Jack stuck with someone like that?" 

"It...it's somethin' like that, kid."

Jamie looked even more distressed at that. Bunny saw more tears. "My neighbor was never okay again after that. She stopped going outside, she didn't go to school anymore, and then her parents moved away. I never saw her again. Jack's not going to disappear like that, is he?"

"No, he's not," Bunny promised, wrapping the boy in a hug as Jamie down into sobs. "He gonna come back, and when he does he's gonna need ya ta help him get better. So we need ya ta spread the word, make sure kids don't forget about him. Think ya can do that?" The boy nodded, still teary but determined Bunny gave his tiny shoulder a squeeze and offered him a smile. "There's a boy. I'm sorry we have ta ask this of ya, Jamie."

"It's okay. What other kid gets to help the Guardians like this? It's pretty cool." Jamie smiled, and his eyes sparkled, though there were still tight lines of sadness around his face.

"Yeah, it is," Bunny agreed.

Then he ushered the boy home, and set off back to his own, hoping that they could get Jack back before he was nothing but a distant memory in Jamie Bennett's childhood.

X

While Bunny had given himself a difficult task – and they really needed to talk to him about this self-punishment streak that he was on – Sandy thought there was a decent argument that his task was even harder. After all, Jamie Bennett had never tried to kill any of them.

The golden man blew out a silent huff of breath, and then slipped into the shadows of the Boogeyman's lair. The darkness nipped at him as he passed, but quickly retreated from the ever present golden glow that outlined Sandy's body.

Pitch was waiting for him when Sandy arrived in the main cavern, one thin eyebrow raised in bemusement.

"You know, I figured you'd be the least likely to kick a man while he's down. My money was on the rabbit."

Sandy crossed his arms with a small frown. He formed an arrow point over his head and gave the taller man a pointed look. It wouldn't be unjustified, that look said. Pitch raised his hands in defeat.

"If you're looking for an apology, don't hold your breath, little man. Besides, don't you have more pressing matters that need your attention?" Pitch sent the little man a sharp smile. "What _have_ you four been doing to Frost? The dear boy's been in a constant fit of terror for the better part of a year, now. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, it's quite a nice cocktail he's been sending me. I don't usually get fears like this from immortals. Tasty."

Pitch was flying toward the far wall as soon as that last word was spoken. His back hit the stone wall with an audible crack. The impact knocked the wind out of him, but he still let out a small laugh.

"Touched a nerve, did I?" A wave of sand had him colliding with the wall again. And still he laughed. "Alright, no mentioning Frost, I understand. Come now, Sandy. What's got you in such a twist, little man?"

Sandy hovered in front of the other man's face, flashing angry symbols. Pitch watched the explanation with a mixture of interest and amusement. That expression froze, and slipped away as Sandy summed up, explaining Kyden and his role in Jack's situation. For a second, the taller spirit's expression darkened with hot rage. He turned away sharply, and when he turned back to Sandy, his expression was blank.

"So you lost Frost, and you can't get to him. I fail to see how this is my problem. If anything, it works rather well in my favor."

Sandy gave him another glare. Then he flashed another set of symbols over his wild hair. These ones implore, rather forcefully, for the dark man's assistance, however small. Pitch's eyes followed the rapidly changing symbols and then barked a surprised – or rather, incredulous – laugh.

"Why would you expect me to so much as lift a _finger_ to help that brat?" Pitch abruptly rose to his feet, cutting off Sandy's response. The half formed symbols collapsed, and the little man gave him a stern look. Pitch ignored the look, and began to stalk around the smaller spirit.

"Frost is the key reason that I lost in the Easter battle. That my moment of triumph was instead yet another instance of humiliation and failure. Not only that, but he turned away my generous offer for a family, something that would have met both of our needs. But he turned me away, and for what? To help you lot, who turned him away at the first opportunity and sought to use him as nothing more than a weapon!

"And now that same boy is in danger, because of you and your friends, not only suffering, but giving me power in his suffering. What makes you think I would allow that to come to an end, let alone assist in it? What could you possibly offer me that's better than this?"

Sandy gave him an unimpressed look, and then once again began to form symbols over the top of his hair. Pitch watched with growing interest as the golden man laid out the terms of a very tempting offer. Once the last of the symbols faded away, Sandy crossed his arms and stared the taller man down, head cocked to the side while Pitch thought things over.

"Well then, color me intrigued. I'd like to hear more about those terms."

Sandy had to consciously fight down a grin. Hook, line and sinker.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

Telling time when he was in The Trunk was always impossible, but it was even more so when he didn't have the use of his eyes. The extra sensory deprivation made his time in the darkness seem even longer. It could have been hundreds of years, a few weeks or even a few hours – although Jack figured it took a long while for his eyes to grow back. After a while, he stopped trying to figure it out, and the concept of time lost all meaning.

No matter how long it actually was, by the time Kyden finally pulled him out, Jack had as much fight in him as a wet noodle. The fire spirit dropped him unceremoniously, apparently still cross about the outburst that had landed Jack in The Trunk. Proving that thought, Kyden crossed his arms and gave him a stern look.

"Are we going to have any more problems like that?"

Jack shook his head. His throat was too dry to manage actual words, which pointed to a long stretch in isolation. He hoped it would be enough to satisfy the man's question.

It wasn't.

Kyden kicked him in the ribs, hard. Jack rolled with the blow. His vision darkened and his stomach heaved as he felt something _shift_ in his chest. All the air that hadn't already been knocked out of him with the kick exploded out of him in a near silent scream. When his vision cleared, he saw Kyden staring him down with an annoyed and expectant expression.

"You know that I prefer verbal answers, Jack." Jack just stared at him with an incredulous look tinted with a hint of desperation. Did the man seriously expect him to talk, after so long without water? Apparently so, because he gave Jack a solid backhand when he didn't immediately respond. "Answer!"

"No." It was barely audible, and horribly cracked, but the answer made Kyden pause in his next intended blow. "No, no...problem...no, please."

"There we go. We really shouldn't have to go over such basic rules at this point, my snow bird." He still looked irritated as he spoke, but his expression did lighten slightly.

Right. Because he was too far along in his training after so long here. The reality of it made him want to cry. Unfortunately, he didn't have any moisture to spare for tears. And on that note...

"Wa..ter. Please, I nee... water."

"Oh, alright. I suppose it would be nice if I could hear you better." He spoke like it truly put him out by offering Jack simple necessities. And yet, Jack felt unusually grateful for the allowance.

This was a tipping point. Every fiber of his body screamed that message, and fought against it. This was the point of no return for his training, the final step before he gave in fully. Don't, don't, don't let him, Jack told himself firmly. Hold on, just hold on, _hold on!_

Kyden came back over with a bowl of water. Jack sat up eagerly and reached for the bowl. His throat was ripped to shreds in his earlier attempts to talk, and the water was wonderfully soothing. He tipped the bowl back further, nearly dumping the water on his face in his hurry to drink. Kyden urged his hands down before Jack got more than a few gulps down.

"Slow down, or you'll get sick. And if you throw up again, I'll make you clean it up. With your tongue."

Jack wisely slowed down. By the time his stomach was full, almost uncomfortably so, he'd only drank about half the bowl.

"Thank you," he said when Kyden took the bowl away.

The man didn't respond until the water was tucked away. He studied Jack with a blank expression, arms crossed and head cocked to the side.

"You know, I want to take this behavior as a good sign. It really is a nice improvement. But, we've been through this quite a few time now, and they all end with those nasty outbursts." Kyden traced the socket of Jack left eye. Jack shivered and tried not to think about why his eye was still so tender. Kyden, unfortunately, wouldn't allow him that.

"I'm glad these aren't gone for good," the man said, still tracing Jack's eye, "They're much too pretty for that.

"Now, like I said, we've been through this just one too many times, and I'm not ready to let this last incident pass without being totally sure it won't happen again. So, I'm going to need some reassurance; I'm going to ask you a question, and unless you want to spend the rest of your very short life in that trunk, you'll answer, and answer well. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful. Now, tell me about how you became a spirit."

Jack went still with a sharp breath. Tipping point, he reminded himself. This was something that he swore to himself that he wouldn't share with Kyden under any circumstances. It was something that he'd promised he'd keep for himself –it was the only thing that he had _left_ for himself. If he cracked on that, Jack didn't think he would be able to fight back any longer. It would be the final step over the edge.

But on the other hand... his eyes wandered to The Trunk. He couldn't go back in there. He couldn't go back to that crushing darkness, bleeding and violated and unable to breathe. Not so soon, not again.

He couldn't. So he took a steadying breath, and met Kyden's waiting gaze.

"I was born in...my parents were Colonists. I was born in a colony in Pennsylvania. It was just me, my mom and my sister for as long as I can remember. We lived on the far end of the village, and there was a lake just outside our home. It would freeze over every year, and my sister—"His throat closed up and he sent Kyden a pleading look. Please, please don't make me do this.

The older spirit just raised an expectant eyebrow. The look behind his eyes still held the promise of pain, so Jack swallowed past the blockage in his throat, and went on.

"My sister wanted me to teach her how to ice skate. She'd gotten ice skates for Christmas, and she wanted me to teach her. The ice... was always safe, even toward the end of the season, but...but this time... It started to crack under her as soon as she stepped on. I knew I had to get her off. And I did. I got her off the ice; I saved her." He was sobbing by the time he finished, albeit tearlessly, so it came off more as uneven breathing. At least he hoped that's what Kyden saw. He hoped that Kyden wouldn't push him to tell more, would be satisfied with 'I saved my sister and was chosen as a Guardian because of _that_.'

Unfortunately, Kyden was many unsavory things, but unobservant was not one of them.

"But you didn't save yourself. You never made it off that ice. You died, didn't you, my bird?"

"Please..." The pleas came out in a huff of desperate air.

"Answer," Kyden commanded impatiently, though eagerly.

"Yes. Yes, I died. That's how I became a spirit."

Kyden suddenly seized him by the shoulders, and stared at him with manically lit eyes.

"Tell me about it," he demanded.

"What?"

"Death is my _passion_! I need to know this side of it, now tell me! What did it _feel_ like? How did death feel?"

Well that was something that he truly did not want to answer. He hadn't even really though through it himself – he was an eternal optimist. Better to think about the good things, about that his sister had lived, than about his untimely death. Despite that, Jack found himself answering.

"It was... it was cold. The water was so cold, and I couldn't move. The surface was right there, a few kicks away, and I couldn't get to it because I couldn't move. I was... what do you want? I was scared. I was dying and I was scared." Jack's voice was blank throughout the explanation, but it cracked at the end.

"'I was dying and I was scared.' Is there any better way to put the great mystery of death?"

Jack didn't answer, and luckily, this time, an answer wasn't necessary. Kyden just sighed happily, and moved away, leaving Jack to stare blankly ahead. The most important moment in his life, both mortal and spirit, had been ripped away for Kyden's sick enjoyment. In the light of something like that, nothing else seemed that important.

His trance was broken by a piece of blue fabric that was waved in front of his nose. Kyden crouched in front of him, with Jack's sweater in one hand and his trousers in the other. Jack vaguely wondered just where Kyden had hidden those; he'd searched every inch of this room when he'd first been trapped, and he'd never caught a glimpse of his clothes.

But beyond idle curiosity, Jack couldn't bring himself to care. Instead, he gave the man a questioning look, silently asking what Kyden wanted him to do next.

"Get dressed. For being so good, we're going on a little field trip." However long ago, Jack would have been thrilled, in a subdued way, about the chance to go outside. Now, he just gave the clothing an unenthused look. Kyden sighed in exasperation. "Or you can always go out just like that."

Jack decided to get dressed.

X

"Move faster."  
Apparently, Kyden didn't understand the concept of the silent treatment. Jack had fully intended to act like Kyden didn't exist until his mind slipped away. You know, the traditional silent treatment. However the man keep insisting on making his presence un-ignorable.

He gave Jack under shove.

"Faster!" He shouted. The pain finally encouraged Jack to break his silence.

"I can't. You broke my ribs."

Despite his complaint, Kyden shoved him again. Jack moved faster.

Finally, they made it to Kyden's final destination. Or, at least, that's what Jack assumed, as the man shoved him hard enough to knock him off his feet. Rather than protest the rough treatment, Jack simply sighed and pushed himself up on his elbows.

They were near the river, which made him worried about Kyden's intentions; it wouldn't be below him to use Jack's death as a new form of torture. Rather than focusing on that – the man would do as he pleased – Jack closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the sunlight. It felt far better on his skin than the light in his dreams. Still terribly hot, but after so long underground, Jack couldn't complain about the heat. The grass under him felt just as nice, and even the sound of the river next to him was perfect.

Why was he worried about coming out here again?

"Alright, let's get started." Oh, yeah, that's why.

Proving his point, the man hauled Jack across the dirt by his arm, aggravating Jack's broken ribs even more. He dropped Jack after a few feet, and Jack grunted in pain. Sighing again, Jack looked to see what he'd been dragged into, and immediately wished he hadn't.

There was another boy bound and gagged next to him. It didn't take much brain power to figure out where this was going on here.

"Now, I'm only giving you one chance to stay on my good side. You know what to do." Kyden offered him the hilt of Fynn's knife. When Jack only stared at it dumbly, the man forced it into his hand. "Jack, your chance is slipping away."

"Please don't make me do this."

Kyden's patience snapped. In one swift movement, he yanked Jack back by his hair and pressed a second knife – this one crudely slapped together with an obsidian tip – to his exposed throat.

"I'm done with this! Either you kill him or I kill you," he snarled.

Jack sent him a disbelieving look out of the corner of his eye.

"No, you won't."

The man's face jumped from mildly annoyed to murderous. He pulled the knife away from Jack's throat and jammed into his side. Jack's resulting scream was as much in surprise as it was in pain.

"Kill him!"

He pushed Jack forward, jerking the knife in a line toward his back. The wound bled profusely, and Jack wanted to vomit at the smell of his own blood.

Jack found his gaze drifting toward the boy, who shook his head desperately. He had brown hair, of course, but his eyes were also brown, making him look less like Fynn and more like...Jack. Or at least, the Jack he'd seen reflected in his human memories. It was appropriate, in a way. If he did this... he'd be killing apart of himself, as well.

"DO IT!" The knife twisted and Jack fell onto his elbows with a scream.

He looked back to the boy, and saw his own face, his sister's face, Jamie Bennett's face, Cassy's face, Fynn's face, all reflected back at him and pleading. Please, please don't do this, they all said, don't do this, don't do this, _don't make me do this_! The boy's face was streaming with tears, and he shook his head more wildly.

The knife twisted again.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Jack swiftly brought his own knife, Fynn's knife, down. It pierced the unnamed boy's neck, and hot blood gushed up and stained Jack's hand. He was dead nearly instantly.

Jack stared in a mixture of disbelief and horror. The boy stared back with dead, blank eyes.

"Yes! HA, yes, yes!" Jack twitched as Kyden pulled the knife out of his side. The man danced around where Jack was still staring at the dead boy in a daze, still chanting. "Told you! I told you there was nothing like it."

Some of the elation drain from the man's face as Jack remained unresponsive. "Look, the first time is always awkward. Like a certain other thing." He nudged Jack with an almost friendly smile. Then he pouted when Jack still didn't respond. "Come on, don't be so down. You'll get used to it."

 _That_ finally got a response out of Jack. No, he was not going to do this enough to get used to it. He refused.

Jack rose in an abrupt stagger, and charged Kyden with a bellow, knife raised high. Kyden easily turned, and caught him. He even had the gall to laugh.

"You bastard! You bastard, you bastard, _you bastard_!"

"Don't be so high and mighty, my bird. After all, you're just as bad as I am, now." Kyden swept his legs out from under him. Jack went down hard, and landed with his face smashed against the dead boy's stomach. Kyden followed him down, and kept him pinned against the bloody shirt. "But don't worry, the more you learn to have fun with the kill, the more you'll like it."

His newly reclaimed clothes were stripped away. Jack flailed, but his body suddenly felt too heavy to fight back. His mind was numb with shock, and his body had followed it.

Because Kyden was right. And even if the others came for him – which he truly doubted – it wouldn't matter, because he was no longer worth saving. He was just as much a monster as his captor was.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

Bunny slid into the Pole, slumped under his ever present cloud of depression. The visit to Jamie Bennett had weighed heavily on him, more so than he been expecting. The fact that the kid had understood what was going on, even if he didn't understand the specifics... That was another childhood Kyden had been allowed to ruin. And both times had been on Bunny's watch.

He was proving to be a truly ineffective Guardian.

The giant rabbit sighed, and pushed that thought away. He started to call out a greeting to North as he came to the main floor, and then came to a sudden stop.

"What are _ya_ doing here?" He asked in a snarl.

The three Seasonals turned at Bunny's shout. Mara immediately lost interest, and crouched down to examine the elves that were foolishly crowded around her. Adam and Willow met his gaze with notably unimpressed looks.

"Hello to you, too," the Fall spirit said.

"Don't get cheeky with me. What are ya doin' here?"

"We're here to help with Jack's escape," Willow explained. Bunny leaned back from where he'd been looming over Adam, and stared at the Seasonal woman in shock.

Then he burst into bitter, nearly hysterical laughter.

"Ya—Yer here ta help? Ya wanna _help_? That's rich. Where were ya a year ago, when ya started this mess?! When ya shoved him back into his worst nightmare and then abandoned him?!"

"As we've heard it, _you're_ the one who abandoned him."

Bunny rounded on Adam before the boy could blink. The Fall spirit was on the ground less than a minute after the words left his lips.

"Bunny!"

Tooth and North rushed over to their fellow Guardian, which kept the rabbit spirit from pummeling the teenager fully. Adam rubbed his jaw as Willow helped him to his feet. Both Seasonals gave the giant rabbit distrustful looks.

"Get out," Bunny growled.

"Look, no matter how you may feel about us, you need help with this – otherwise you would have save him by now. We're here to offer that. Is it really wise to turn down that assistance?" Willow said coolly.

"Bunny," Tooth began, looking unconvinced.

"No!" The fairy flinched back, and Bunny regretted the harsh tone. However, his anger at the Nature spirits kept him from apologizing. He kept a steady glare leveled at the teenagers. "If ya wanted ta offer 'assistance', ya should have done it when we first came ta ya."

"You don't understand—"Adam started to cut in.

"We understand that Jack was in danger, and pain, and you did nothing," North told him sternly.

"We wanted to! The Mother has forbade us from going to the Oasis. She would have killed any of us who went against her. There was nothing we could have done!" Willow protested.

"So what's changed yer minds? I know she hasn't changed her mind on this, why would ya?"

"We saw the people the Mother has lined up to replace Jack," Willow said bluntly, abruptly calm after her outburst.

"Basically," Adam agreed, "They're kind of, well you know, a little—well, most Winter spirits aren't like Jack. For the most part they, they tend to be—"

"Totally bat-shit crazy. There's no need to dance around it," Willow cut in.

"Yeah, that. It's really not in our best for us, or the world, for any of those guys to become head Seasonals."

"Sounds like they would fit right in with ya."

"Hey, we are not," Adam trailed off at the sound of intense jangling, and looked to see Mara viciously shaking an upside down elf. She muttered something about finding where they hid the presents, and then shook the poor elf with even more intensity. Adam looked close to smacking his forehead.

"Okay, so we're not normal. I'll admit it. But, it's not entirely our fault; it's how Mother Nature made us. She created us from the essence of the Seasons, which are not meant to have physical form *. It's not a good mix for a healthy psyche."

"That's a shame," Bunny deadpanned. "But it doesn't change anything. If ya wanted to help, ya should've when we first came ta ya. If ya cared about Jack, ya would've offered ta help. It doesn't matter how scary Mother Nature is, and it definitely doesn't matter that it's suddenly in yer best interest ta help! We don't trust ya, now get the hell outta here!" Bunny was glaring heavily once more, while Tooth and North both looked uncertain. No one spoke.

Before the teenagers could form another protest to the rabbit spirit's outburst, the room's attention was drawn to Sandy as he arrived. Behind him, ranting loudly about why coddling was wholly inappropriate in this day and age – which had drawn the room's attention – was Pitch Black.

"What the bloody _fuckin' hell is he_ _doing here_?"

What was this, bring your worst enemies to work day?

"You're around children with that mouth? No wonder the newest generation is so insufferable." Pitch sent them that signature sharp smile.

The Guardians drew they're weapons, only to be brought up short as Sandy blocked their path to the Boogeyman. The symbols over his head flew by so rapidly that none of the others could read them. Luckily – or not – they didn't need to read the symbols.

"Sandy," North began slowly, "you brought him here?"

The golden man winced, but nodded resolutely.

"Why would ya do that?" Only deep trust in his oldest friend kept Bunny's temper in check. Just barely.

His limits were further tested when Pitch stepped in before Sandy could reply.

"Sanderson sought me out, and laid out the most intriguing offer," he said. "I assist you in surviving the Oasis controlled by this Kyden-fellow. I either kill him myself or assist you in doing so. In return: in addition to not becoming your punching bag – which I've had enough of to last a life time –, I also get Halloween."

"WHAT?!" The question was shrieked by three incredulous voices. The owners of said voices all stared at the Sandman in disbelief.

"Well, everyone else seems to get a holiday," Pitch said in a pouting voice, although that smile remained. "As it is, I'm the only one here who _can_ kill this spirit without serious backlash."

That was a good point; Mother Nature had proven time and again that she would avoid any situation with Pitch like the plague. Having him around would be like having a 'get out of jail, free' card. And as Sandy added on his own explanations, it was hard not to see the logic behind this.

Pitch was an ancient force. Older than – and the reason for – the order of the Guardians. Older than the Man in the Moon. Older than Mother Nature. If any one of them would be immune to the effects of the barrier, it would be Pitch. Mother Nature would not retaliate with the same brutality against her father that she would against any of the Guardians.

If anyone had a real chance of killing Kyden, it was Pitch.

But it didn't mean that Bunny had to like it.

"If the benefits aren't enough to convince you of my intent," Pitch went on," think of this: I would have something to hold over my Oh So Much Better Than You, daughter. That's something I've wanted for longer than I've wanted to kill you lot.

"And on that note: if anyone's going to kill you Cretans, it's going to be me. Not some fiery upstart so incompetent he's been trapped in a glorified timeout for centuries, _me_! If anyone is going to make Frost suffer like this, it WILL BE ME!"

Right, because that was reassuring. Bunny sighed.

"Fine, I can put up with him. Ya guys?" He asked to the North and Tooth, who both muttered affirmatives.

"Seriously? You'll take help from your _arch nemesis_ , but not us?" Adam shouted.

"He can be useful. What can ya three do?"

Oddly enough, it was Mara who answered, though she still tried to shake out whatever present she was looking for in that poor elf as she spoke. "I can get you into the Oasis without it making you helpless."

The room was dead still for a moment, and then Bunny dashed over and whipped the girl around (making drop the poor elf, who scurried out of her reach and cowered behind North's leg).

"How?!" He demanded.

"You're hurting my arms," she whined.

"HOW?!"

"Okay, okay." She wiggled out of the rabbit's tight hold. "The way that the barrier works is that it's honed in on Kyden's...well, aura, for lack of a better word. He can't leave, but he's unaffected while inside.

"If I can cloak you in that same aura, you can do the same."

" _Can_ you do that?" Tooth asked.

"I'm the Spirit of Summer," she said, like that answered all.

"I can limit the threat he presents," Willow put in. "Jack informed us that he can control the earth within the Oasis. I am the Spirit of Spring, and I have far better control over the earth. I can combat that aspect of his power, and if he influences the earth, I will know it, and therefore know when he is near."

"I'll more be there for emotional support," Adam said. "Mara will have to stay outside the barrier for this to work, so I'd stay with her to make sure nothing happens to break her concentration. Plus, the Mother won't replace all four of us. That would be a hassle." Adam sent them a cheeky grin.

Bunny shared a look with the other three Guardians. "Fine," he said, resigned.

"I love this plan! I'm excited to be a part of it!" Adam led Willow and Mara off as he spoke, and was soon followed by North, Tooth, Pitch and Sandy. Bunny followed at the very back, shaking his head, but feeling light and hopeful for the first time in months.

Their list of allies was not as impressive as he'd been hoping, but the result was what was important. They were finally doing it. They were going to get Jack back.

We're coming, kiddo, he thought. We're finally coming.

 ***1: It occurred to me that I didn't really physically describe Fynn. So there you go.**

 ***2: This is my canon for how elemental/Seasonal spirits are created. Rather than being chosen from past lives, they're willed into reality by Mother Nature. I figure that's why Jack thought he didn't have a past life in the movie. You know, in addition to having no memories.**

 **And finally: I've seen a few fics that have Pitch showing this "I'm the only one allowed to kill them behavior" and I just had to include it.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, let me know what you think.**


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